Phalangeal Injuries, Hand
To view the entire topic, please log in or purchase a subscription.
Emergency Central is a collection of disease, drug, and test information including 5-Minute Emergency Medicine Consult, Davis’s Drug, McGraw-Hill Medical’s Diagnosaurus®, Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests, and MEDLINE Journals created for emergency medicine professionals. Explore these free sample topics:
-- The first section of this topic is shown below --
Basics
Description
- 1/3 of all traumatic injuries affect the hand
- Phalanges account for one of the most frequently fractured parts of the skeletal system with the distal phalanx being the most commonly fractured bone in the hand
- Dorsal displacement of the proximal interphalangeal joint of the finger is the most frequent dislocation
Pediatric Considerations
- Disability from hand injuries can have life-changing implications based on a patient's age, vocation, and hobbies
- Injuries may be more difficult to diagnose in children who are unable to cooperate for a full exam
Etiology
- Trauma (commonly work or sports related)
- Infectious sequelae:
- Skin flora: Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococci
- Cat/dog bites: S. aureus and Pasteurella multocida
- Human bites: Eikenella
- Thorns or woody plants puncture: Fungal
- Fresh-/salt-water exposure: Mycobacterium marinum and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Inflammatory (e.g., gout, RA, osteoarthritis)
- Overuse injury (e.g., “gamekeeper's thumb”)
-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please log in or purchase a subscription --
Basics
Description
- 1/3 of all traumatic injuries affect the hand
- Phalanges account for one of the most frequently fractured parts of the skeletal system with the distal phalanx being the most commonly fractured bone in the hand
- Dorsal displacement of the proximal interphalangeal joint of the finger is the most frequent dislocation
Pediatric Considerations
- Disability from hand injuries can have life-changing implications based on a patient's age, vocation, and hobbies
- Injuries may be more difficult to diagnose in children who are unable to cooperate for a full exam
Etiology
- Trauma (commonly work or sports related)
- Infectious sequelae:
- Skin flora: Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococci
- Cat/dog bites: S. aureus and Pasteurella multocida
- Human bites: Eikenella
- Thorns or woody plants puncture: Fungal
- Fresh-/salt-water exposure: Mycobacterium marinum and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Inflammatory (e.g., gout, RA, osteoarthritis)
- Overuse injury (e.g., “gamekeeper's thumb”)
There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.